The Indian Navy is actively participating in Exercise Sea Dragon 2026, a prominent US-led multinational anti-submarine warfare (ASW) drill hosted at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam throughout March.
This annual exercise unites maritime forces from key Indo-Pacific partners, underscoring growing interoperability amid rising maritime tensions in the region.
Joining the United States Navy are contingents from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), and Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF).
The Indian Navy’s involvement highlights India’s deepening defence ties with Quad partners—comprising the US, Australia, Japan, and India—fostering collective readiness against submarine threats.
The RAAF has deployed a P-8A Poseidon aircraft, supported by 50 aviators from its recently reformed 12 Squadron, to Guam. This maritime patrol aircraft, renowned for its advanced sonar buoys, radar, and electro-optical sensors, plays a pivotal role in detecting submerged threats over vast ocean expanses.
Over the two-week duration, participants engage in intricate scenarios simulating submarine hunts. Crews practise detecting, tracking, and neutralising both mock and live targets, honing precision in challenging environments that mimic real-world Indo-Pacific conditions.
Organisers emphasise enhanced speed, tactical refinement, and coordinated execution. The competitive structure pushes aircrews to innovate, promoting seamless data-sharing and joint operations among allied navies and air forces.
Squadron Leader Bryce Martin, RAAF Detachment Commander for Sea Dragon 26, described the event as vital for operational sharpening and alliance-building. He noted Guam’s expansive training airspace enables complex, realistic drills alongside partners.
Exercise Sea Dragon forms part of a wider US initiative to bolster maritime security in strategic waterways like the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. ASW focus addresses the proliferation of quiet, advanced submarines from nations such as China, which fields one of the world’s largest fleets.
India’s participation aligns with its maritime doctrine, emphasising blue-water capabilities. The Navy operates eight P-8I Poseidons, indigenous variants of the Boeing platform, equipped for long-range surveillance and ASW, proven in operations from the Arabian Sea to the Malacca Strait.
Australia maintains 13 P-8As, integral to its Indo-Pacific strategy, supporting surveillance, strike, and reconnaissance. New Zealand and Japan contribute similar assets, with Japan’s P-1 and P-3C fleets enhancing regional ASW networks.
Such drills counterbalance assertive submarine activities, including China’s Type 039A Yuan-class vessels patrolling near Taiwan and the Andaman Sea. They also integrate emerging technologies like unmanned underwater vehicles and AI-driven threat analysis.
For India, Sea Dragon complements domestic efforts like the P-75I submarine programme and induction of INS Arihant-class nuclear submarines. It bolsters ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in defence by exposing indigenous systems to multinational standards.
The exercise signals unified resolve among partners to deter aggression and safeguard sea lanes vital for global trade—over 80 per cent of which traverses the Indo-Pacific. Outcomes will likely inform future joint patrols and intelligence-sharing pacts.
As Sea Dragon 2026 unfolds, it reaffirms the Quad’s strategic pivot towards practical deterrence, positioning participant navies at the forefront of maritime domain awareness.
ANI
